The IT world is confusing for customers and they need someone to help them out. That is when the help desks are coming to the rescue.
Help desks are an essential part of any software, hardware, or any kind of technology. In fact, 84% of customers are ready to pay more for good service. If you are not investing in a good help desk (meaning fast-responding and knowledgeable), you are likely to lose these customers after the first bug or password reset they run into.
In this article, we want to highlight one of the most essential parts of help desks which is Tier 1 help desks. Keep reading and find out what this is and how they benefit your employees (yes, customers are not the only ones who receive all the benefits).
What Is Tier 1 Help Desk?
Help desks usually have a hierarchy – Tiers 0, 1, 2, 3, and sometimes higher. The higher the tier number is, the more complex issues are resolved.
Tier 1 help desk employees deal with the most basic issues that do not need deep technical knowledge, they usually use scripts to navigate the customer or resolve the issue remotely. Their scope of tasks is usually about password resets or most common user inquiries. Tier 1 help desk is usually contacted if Tier 0 (or self-service) was of no use.
If the issue is beyond the capabilities of Tier 1, they forward the customer and their details to Tier 2, to people with good technical knowledge.
Benefits of Tier 1 Help Desk For Employees
The hierarchy of the IT support levels is essential for the sanity of the tech team and their satisfaction with the workplace. Tier 1 provides vital benefits to higher tiers, such as:
Focus On More Essential Tasks
All kinds of technology need improvements, fixes, and updates after it is rolled out. You need timely additions to retain the competitive edge and never get into the rank of obsolete.
If your tech team is busy resolving the simplest issues, you are not getting any improvements. Your team is annoyed by basic-level tasks. If they can work on more exciting and challenging tasks like creating new features, they are more likely to stay and be satisfied with their employer. After all, they did not spend years learning how to code for resolving basic issues.
Less Overwhelming Support
Regular tech teams do not work 24/7 like Tier 1 help desks usually do. They have a typical 9 to 5 office working day and they do not come in on weekends. During the time that they are away, a lot of dissatisfied inquiries are coming through email or chats and it is a horror to try to resolve it on a Monday morning.
If there is Tier 1 help desk, tech teams can have a breather and significantly unload their busy schedule, especially after the weekends.
Lower Risk of Employees Burnout
If you deal with engaging and challenging tasks that correspond to your expectations about the IT industry, you are less likely to burn out. Moreover, the same goes for workplaces where you do not have to deal with an overwhelming amount of work. Tier 1 help desks are providing the best opportunity to avoid an overwhelming amount of beginner-level tasks which eliminates the burnout possibility. The higher satisfaction levels among employees contribute to lower costs of hiring new staff and a higher level of satisfaction among customers.
Ability to See the Big Picture
When you are too overwhelmed by daily small routine tasks, you are unlikely to pay attention to the bigger picture. Tier 1 help desks usually pass over analytics about issues that are the most common so you can fix them rather than keep on dealing with the same problems. It is a win-win situation for everyone: Tier 1 help desks can avoid as many routine tasks as possible and Tier 2 and 3 employees can get a better overview of their products and work with more challenging tasks.
How to Launch Tier 1 Help Desk for Employees
In order to successfully launch tier 1 help desk for your employees it’s important to correctly define the following details:
- What employees require support the most and how they would communicate with the help desk
- What are the most common problems and the estimated number of monthly requests
- What are the main goals of a help desk
- What is your budget
Once you have this information you could make a well-informed decision on how your tier 1 help desk should be organized for the best results.
Conclusion
Tier 1 help desks are working on the frontlines, defending the sanity of developers and the quality of the product. Tier 2 and 3 employees can finally focus on more exciting tasks and avoid the overwhelming amount of work that they did not want in the first place.
